


The Fortunes of Bygones

by Curvybihufflepuff



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Whelp, curvybihufflepuff, first fic ive written in 2 years, i dont know what else to add?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:20:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28744623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Curvybihufflepuff/pseuds/Curvybihufflepuff
Summary: After a rough life leads Lydian to be a part of the Avengers, we recount the stories of her life. From a traumatic childhood, loss of the only person closest to her, and a winding road of lovers from the past. She now works with Tony Stark, learning and meeting new people. What happens when she meets a super soldier from the 1940’s?
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Female Character(s), James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

When Tony moved everyone from the Tower to the Compound, I thought it would be a big change. However, I’ve been here all of two days, and things seem to be normal — as if I were still back at the Tower. I wake up, eat, go down to the lab to keep working on whatever project I see fit or that Tony asked me to work on, eat dinner, and then dick around for a few hours before going to bed. The location has changed, but the routine is the same. Except for tonight.

Tonight, Tony has asked me to join him and the rest of the Avengers for dinner. I’ve been hiding away, avoiding the others. Of course, Tony said to dress a bit fancy, but there was no way I was going to dress up for the Avengers. Instead, I will go with leggings and a tee shirt. It's not that I don't wanna meet the other members of the team; I just don't like meeting new people.

“Lydian?” Tony calls from somewhere, while I’m sitting in the kitchen eating my breakfast. I figure with a new kitchen I’d stick with cereal — in and out quickly. Yet somehow, in this vast fucking compound, Tony found me me within 8 minutes of leaving my room. I think for a second and check my watch; he had found me in 7 minutes and 48 seconds. 

I wait for him to reach the kitchen. No point in calling out to let him know he’s right. He already found me.

“What do you need today, Stark?” I ask before I lift the bowl to my lips and finish off the cinnamon milk. Cinnamon Toast Crunch never disappoints. Standing to clear my dishes, I see Tony entering the kitchen. He’s wearing his usual attire, jeans and some dark blue band shirt, Nirvana I think. 

“I was hoping you’d maybe,” he says with a wince away, “Take the day off and hang with Peter? He’s got a project he’s working on, and I said I would help but I’ve got meetings till 4 today.” I roll my eyes at him — not because I don’t want to spend my Saturday with Peter, but just because I know it will annoy Tony. 

“I was gonna work on the sonic dampener for my mask. But I suppose I could take a day off. It’s only a day’s work.” I turn my head so Tony can't see my smirk. He’s been trying to help me with my projects ever since he took me in. It’s been almost 2 years now. Peter is definitely my favorite person I had met at the Tower; he’s really become like a little brother to me. I usually pick him up from school and bring him to the Tower, now I'll be bringing him to the Compound. I really love taking one of Stark’s cars to pick up Peter. I still remember the look on that punk Flash’s face the first time I picked up Peter from school.

“I promise I’ll make it up to you this week. You still like takeout from Oddity?”He asks and claps his hands together and starts to back out of the kitchen the way he came. I nod, and he smiles; “Monday night, we will work on the dampener!” And with that he was gone.

Might as well spend the day with Peter. Maybe he doesn’t wanna go to dinner tonight, either.

“Are you kidding?” Peter exclaims, jumping from his desk. Tony had made a room for Peter in the Compound, even though he was only here for some weekends. He doesn't keep much in here, because he also has his room in the Tower, and the apartment in Queens with May — though he did have some Star Wars posters up, and things to make it feel like home. 

Not like my room. I don't tend to keep many things. Although, since I’ve been taken in by Tony, I have had a tendency to hold onto scrap technology and tinker with it late in the night. 

“Nope, I’m here to help you the whole day. Maybe we can ditch the party tonight? I’ll go swipe some alcohol from the bar — all the fun of the party without having to mingle.” He may be 16, but when I was his age, I’d partaken in underage drinking. Sure, giving alcohol to someone six years younger than you was frowned upon, but I really don't want to go to the party tonight.

“Well, while that does sound like fun, I haven’t seen Mr. Wilson and Mr. Barnes in a while. I’d even bet that they missed me.” Sometimes, his optimism confuses me, but I never pass up an opportunity to win $5 bucks off him. 

A few weeks ago I won $5 off him on the bet that Vision had tried to eat batteries. I only won because I had dared Vision to try it a couple weeks earlier. Vision and I have become good friends in the last couple years; he just kinda understands. It's nice, really.

“That’s a bet I’d put money on. What do you say? 5 bucks that they are either annoyed by you, or pretend you don't exist.” I plop down on Peter’s bed as he thinks about it.

“Deal,” he reaches out to shake my hand and I sit up to meet him halfway. “I know they missed me. I heard Steve asking about ‘that kid from Queens’ when he called Tony the other day.” 

I smile. I know it’s wrong to assist in the corruption of young minds, but encouraging Peter to eavesdrop makes it so we can discuss the gossip of what goes on around us. Plus, it’s made it so we are never taken off guard by Tony’s surprises for us.

“Maybe they are hoping to avoid you? You did kinda embarrass them when you took them down at that airport. Two grown men taken out by a 14 year old.” I laugh and get up, looking over Peter’s shoulder to see what he’s working on, and start to help. Seems to be some kind of web fluid containment device.

“Well, they will be taken by surprise.” Peter gestures to his closet where slacks, a blazer and a button down shirt hang from a hanger. “They last saw me when I was 14, but I’m 16 now. Not a kid anymore.” Sometimes, Peter amazes me. He sounds like Ariel from The Little Mermaid, with her whole thing about no longer being a child at 16.

I won't say anything to him about the fact he’s gonna be overdressed. I talked to Nat, and she's going the same route as me with dressing casual. Thor will probably wear his usual attire. Bruce said he’s going casual. Hopefully it will just be Tony and Peter that dress up — might even happen, considering who’s already not dressing up. 

Since I spent all day with Peter, I don't have much time to get ready for the dinner in an hour. I put on my leggings and tee shirt; the shirt is tighter than I want, but it makes my tits look good, and feeling good about myself helps me fake confidence. 

I put my hair up in two space buns, add some eyeliner, and my Converse. God, I’m a fucking bi cliche. However, comfort is important tonight; I’m meeting my new team, and though I don’t need to impress them, I don’t want to make a bad impression.

I take a deep breath, I only get one chance to make a first impression. 

“Let’s do this.” I say to myself before opening the door to the dining room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We go to dinner!

“Ah, Lydian! Fashionably late as always.” Tony comments as I step into the Compound’s dining hall. He’s in a blazer and slacks, the same as Peter. Of course they are the only ones dressed up. 

I recognize everyone’s faces, though I’ve never met most of them. Obviously I know Tony and Peter. Nat is a good friend of mine, and I’ve met T’Challa a few times. I know Wanda and Vision lived in the Tower while I was there, but they kept to themselves and I could count the number of times I’d met them on one hand. 

Then there were the new people. I’d seen them on the news, and in the files Tony had left in the lab. I’m pretty sure he knows I read them, but he never says anything about it.

Thor Odinson. God of Thunder, from Asgard. Superhuman strength, durability, and speed. Regenerative healing factor, elemental manipulation, weapons mastery, and multilingualism. Overall very impressive. Though Tony’s notes say he has a thing for pop tarts and other things of that nature.

He is sitting in a chair with a drink in hand, a dark brown liquid in a simple crystal glass. Hair pulled back in a low ponytail, and though he wasn’t very dressy as per Tony’s request he was wearing a fitted dark red jacket over a black shirt. His eyes watching the group as he happily nursed his drink.

Bruce Banner. Aka The Incredible Hulk. Genius level intellect, master scientist, master engineer, and physician. Plus that whole thing where he gets angry and turns green. Honestly I can’t wait to talk to him about his projects, maybe get another opinion than Tony’s on my own projects.

Banner is mingling with Nat and Clint, didn’t know he was gonna be here. Figured he was out of the game considering his family. Though the lingering stares they all have for each other causes me to continue on checking the new members.

Scott Lang. Ant-Man. Tony affectionately crossed that out and wrote ‘tic tac’. Size manipulation, gifted intelligent, expert engineer, expert thief, expert tactician, and expert fighter. 

Yet another person I can’t wait to talk shop with. For now his time is occupied by Peter geeking out about another insect themed hero. And Scott looks equally excited with a wide grin on his face.

I walk further into the room, over to the bar to make myself a drink. I spot the last three figures that I have yet to meet. Sam, Bucky, and Steve.

Sam Wilson, The Falcon. Master pilot with the ability to fly with a specialized winged jet pack. Expert combatant, expert marksman, expert tactician, and expert acrobat.

His arms are crossed and his drink set down on the table, gorgeous man. But what really caught my eyes are the two muscular men that Sam is standing with.

James ’Bucky’ Barnes. The Winter Soldier. I knew of him before I joined Stark. My high school US history class made us do a unit on WW1, and I had done a project on the Howling Commandos. Tony hadn’t left his file out, it made me wonder if he even had it. 

He has long dark brown hair, but otherwise he was just like I remembered in the history books. All the girls and some of the boys in my class had a small sexual awakening during that unit, and I blame that sharp jawline, plump lips, and those beautiful eyes. Though the textbooks were nothing compared to the man in front of me.

Steve Rogers, Captain America. Tony had told me that the rift between them was fixed, but I could tell from the glances they were giving each other that it was still in the works of repair.

All I can think about as I stare at him is that his light blue shirt is too tight. I’ll admit that he’s handsome, almost enough for me to want to chat him up. However, Tony would lose his shit, and they are working on making amends. I doubt Tony would continue on a path to agreement if I went after any one of the new team. 

“Well you know me and parties mix like oil and water.” I bite back at Tony. Out of the corner of my eye I see Barnes raise his head to look at me. Upon seeing the bar I walk over to order myself a drink. Tony had made a fully operational bar that was maintained by Friday whenever a party was going on.

I could still feel his eyes on me as I sat on a barstool. If he were to flirt with me, I’d flirt back. The difference between him and Rogers, is that flirting with Rogers would annoy Tony. If I were flirting with Barnes, it would piss off Tony. That would teach him to make me go to parties when I don’t want to. 

“Hey Friday, I’d like a sidecar please.” I tell the AI, and she gets to work on the drink. When I feel a presence by my side I pull out my phone and pull up the book I had been reading.

Barnes sits a stool away from me and asks Friday for an old fashioned. I glance up to watch Friday make two drinks at the same time. The mechanics and machinery that Tony creates always fascinates me, almost makes me think twice about flirting with Barnes. Almost.

“What’s a beautiful girl like you doing hanging around Tony?” Bucky asks as Friday passes me my drink. I set my phone down on the bar and reach for my glass.

“Rough life, got on Stark’s radar because I’m smart, he teaches me. Why do you wanna know?” Trying to play hard to get is difficult when the person you are interested in is so attractive. I take a sip of my drink, the sour of the lemon juice making my mouth water.

Friday puts his drink in front of him and he picks it up before sliding into the seat next to me. I look up at him and his eyes dart up from my body to look me in the eyes. I almost wish he hadn’t, his eyes have an allure to them that pulls me in. 

“Ok guys, dinner is served!” Tony shouts from behind and I look to the table where the food was set. I can still feel Barnes’ eyes on me, but I ignore it and stand to take my drink to the table.

I see Barnes follow me, taking a seat next to me. Steve sits down on Bucky’s right. The realization that I am seated next to his metal arm makes me a bit nervous. Not because it is intimidating, but the engineer in me wants to know how it works. A beautiful work of metal and electronics put together to work as an arm. I want to ask so many questions, however he probably has had so many questions asked before it would be annoying. 

Peter decides to walk around the table to his seat, stopping by Sam who ignores him completely opting to chat with Steve instead. I smile, and it looks like the five bucks is gonna be mine. He passes Steve and leans over to say hello to Bucky.

“Hi Mr. Barnes, it’s great to see you again!” Peter says to Bucky in his usual overexcited tone. However, Bucky kept his eyes on mine as I waited for him to look at Peter. Out of the corner of my eye I watch Peter grab a five from his pocket and I hold my hand out to accept it. I tuck the money into my bra, turning away from Bucky and making light conversation with the others.

When dinner is over I stay a bit longer to finish up the chats I’d been having through the night. I start to walk to the bar to get one last drink, and I see Bucky already there as Friday sets down two drinks in front of him. An old fashioned and a sidecar. 

“Planning on drinking both of those old timer?” I ask, batting my lashes in hope to get a little rise out of him. He simply slides the sidecar to me and takes his drink in hand, sipping it lightly.

“No, I was hoping I could persuade you into letting me walk you home?” He says to me. I pick up my drink and take a sip as well. 

With a small jerk of my head and a smile he stands to follow me. It was distracting to sit with him tonight, he smells of leather and sandalwood. Try talking to your new teammates while completely entranced by one of the most handsome men you've ever met and tell me it is easy. Suddenly, I slipped into the fantasies my teenage mind had concocted back when we learned about the Howling Commandos in History class. 

We walk down the hall to the elevator and I press the button for the bottom level. Tony had originally wanted to give me a room on the top level, but I wanted something that felt more secure. So we compromised and he gave me a basement apartment with one of the walls in the front room being a window to the exterior of the Compound. 

“I hope you don’t think I’m being too forward with you.” Bucky says, pulling my mind back to the moment. He stands against one of the elevator walls, keeping his distance so as to not intimidate me.

“I just really enjoyed your company tonight.” He continued. “I tend to enjoy sharing comfortable silence with people, and that's the feeling I got from you.”

My heart warms, his voice is deep and a bit rough. I take another sip of my drink and smile at him. He smiles back and looks down at his feet, though I can see the tiniest tint of pink rush to his cheeks. Could he be anymore darling?

“Let me see your phone.” I say as I hold out my hand. The look of surprise on his face pleases me, like he was not prepared for my forwardness. He reaches into his back pocket with his left hand. The metal shines slightly in the light of the elevator and I take his phone as the AI tells us we've reached my floor, opening the doors.

I go to his contacts to add my number and put my name in, then hand it back because stepping out of the elevator. He takes his phone back and smiles at it before stuffing it in his pocket and following me.

I’m usually one to be talkative, especially when I’m nervous. But with Bucky I realize that I also enjoy the comfortable silence, and though I do want to mingle more with him I have nothing to say. It’s like my mind can relax with him, no need for words. It feels strange.

“This you?” Bucky asks then we get to the last door in the hallway. It has my name written in metal letters with my codename below it. I step in front of the door in hopes he doesn’t see it.

“Yeah, thank you for walking me back. I mean I really didn’t need it, it's just the Compound. There’s no chance that someone is gonna try to hurt me on my way home if my home is in the same building as the party I just left,” I laugh a bit nervously and pause to look at him, “I’m rambling aren’t I?”

My feet shuffle below me and I look down hoping to avoid him seeing the small amount of blush coloring my cheeks. It slightly infuriates me how this man can affect me when only knowing him for one evening. When I look up at him again I see his eyes go from the door and back to my eyes.

“It’s ok, it’s cute.” He says before pointing at the door, “‘Banshee’?” Bucky adds, his brow furrows slightly quizzingly. So, then did he see my codename.

“It’s just the silly codename Stark gave me. It’s nothing really.” I tell him before turning and grabbing the key from the tiny pocket in my leggings. He stays still while I open my door. Before I enter I turn back to him.

“Thanks again, feel free to text me anytime. Goodnight, Barnes.” I say before stepping into my apartment.

“Goodnight, Lydian.” He says quietly. I smile and close the door before locking it. I hang my head low, I wish he hadn’t seen that. Why did Tony put that there? No one ever comes down here except me, so I guess he thought no one but me would see it. I’d almost forgotten about it, just another part of my life here.

I see some of my tools out on the counter from the project I had been working on the night before. Including my propane torch. I check outside to make sure Bucky has left, then open the door, and turn on the torch. 

After a few minutes of flames to the door the codename is illegible. I turn off the torch and close the door, knowing the name ‘Banshee’ no longer sits below my name.


	3. Chapter 3

*12 Years Ago*

John and Martha Goode had two daughters, Lilith who was the older one, and Eve who was just about 3 years younger than Lilith. They presented themselves as a perfect Christian family, but John was involved in a radical group. A cult-like group that took the Bible and twisted it into something evil.

One night John and Martha were at a meeting. Eve was sleeping over at a friend’s house. And Lilith was left all alone in the house...

The night was cold to the point of being unusual for an early to mid summer night. Lilith was bundled up in front of the small fireplace reading a book. There was no TV in the house because her parents were told that it was an evil invention meant to corrupt the youth, or so their “Church” said. Lilith was now ten and starting to question a lot of the things her parents were telling her about the Church.

It was getting late and Lilith looked up at the clock as it chimed telling her it was 9:45. ‘Maybe’ she thought, ‘Mom and Dad are doing another Church sleepover and forgot to tell me?’ They had done this before, though Lilith was lucky to not be tasked with watching her sister this time. Her eyes were starting to flutter shut, book in her hands falling closed to her lap. Completely forgotten as sleep called for her then and there.

A rustling noise at the door woke Lilith and she glanced at the clock again thinking her parents had come home. Three o’clock in the morning. Her little brows furrow together in confusion, it didn’t make sense. She stays still and pretends to be asleep, not wanting her parents to see her up so late when they came in. 

When the door finally opened, a loud creek resonated through the house. The kind of sound the door would make if being opened ever so gently. Two sets of footsteps came in through the door however, Lilith knew the sound of her parent’s footsteps, and this was not them. Her heart rate quickened, now struck with panic. She slides off the recliner and crawls her way over to the couch set against the wall, hoping to stay hidden from the intruders. 

“Go check the master bedroom first, I’ll do a sweep of the main floor and meet you up there.” Said the first voice, it was deep and gruff. Lilith pulled her knees closer to her chest, fear starting to creep up her throat.

“Are you sure no one’s home? I’m not going to prison again for you.” The second voice told the first. Though the second voice seemed older, it was clear that the first voice was the one in charge.

“Yes I’m sure. Family home, two kids at sleepovers and the parents go to that ‘Heaven's Gate’s’ type cult just outside of town. Tonight is one of the overnight sermons. I did my fucking research on this one man. No one is here.” The first voice told the second, completely unaware that there was one family member still in the house.

Lilith heard one set of footsteps go up the stairs, and the other to the kitchen. Maybe she could make it to her dad’s study across from the master bedroom undetected? Surely she had to call the police, mom and dad would be furious if they came home and she had just watched, doing nothing.

The man that stayed downstairs was in the kitchen opening and closing drawers. Lilith knew it was now or never and army crawled to the other side of the couch before pausing. There were no signs that either man had moved so she crawled further to the stains. The short bristles of the rug started to burn her soft skin on her forearms and knees.

Then came the stairs. Her only hope was to get up the stairs without making any noise and pray that neither men approached the stairs while she was there. With another deep breath to calm herself before she made her way up the stairs on her hands and feet. The carpet cushioned the sounds of her steps, but she could hear the man downstairs sigh and make his way to the living room. He couldn’t see Lilith on the stairs, but she could see him. If she had stayed put by the couch he would have found her just then.

Lilith had made it to the top of the stairs and could see the second man looking through her mom’s jewelry box. Before he could see her she snuck to the left and ever so gently opened the door to her dad’s study. She was through the door and working to close it when the old hinges made a loud squeak. Lilith stopped in her tracks, listening for a sign that the men may have heard her.

“Hey, was that you up there?” The first man whisper shouted up the staircase. Lilith knew she had to get to the phone faster. She left the door cracked open and ran across the room, grabbing the phone off the desk and hiding under the large desk. Her dad never let her come in here without him, it felt wrong to be breaking the rules even given the circumstances.

“No,” the second man said to the first “I thought that was you. Get up here now!” Lilith’s hands were shaking as she dialed.

Nine, the first man ran up the stairs.  
One, the men met at the landing and spotted the open door.  
One, they opened the door and saw something blocking the moonlight from shining below the whole desk.

“Nine-one-one operator, what’s your emergency?” Answered the woman on the phone with a thick southern accent.

“I need help. There’s someone in my home, please help me.” Lilith told her, shaking as she heard footsteps coming closer to the desk from the door.

“Where are you?” The woman said in a calm voice. 

“Elm Street, fifth house on the left, it's a cul de sac. I’m scared.” Lilith’s friend’s mom had driven her home before, and they found her home with those instructions, she hoped it was enough.

“Ok, help is on the way. What’s your name?” The woman asked. Lilith didn’t respond, she heard the footsteps of the men come to a halt on both sides of the desk. Tears were forming in her eyes, she had never been this scared in her entire life. 

The desk flew back and Lilith jumped. The men were big and ugly. Guns strapped to them and knives in hand. The one to her right grabbed the phone from her and hung up while the one on her left pulled his gun and aimed it at her.

“‘No one is here’ my ass. She called the fuckin’ police. What do we do now?” Said the second man. He was tall and burley, a thick brown beard covered his face. They both wore all black with black hats.

“I say we kill her and run, no witnesses.” Says the first man. He's taller than the second man, but skinnier with a thin layer of stubble covering his face in a patchy pattern as if he was having trouble getting it to grow.

The first man reaches down and grabs Lilith’s arm, but before he can lift her to a standing position, she screams.

Time almost slows for Lilith as she wails, waves ripple through the air and hit the men. They reach to cover their ears and she stops. The men looked stunned but tried to grab her again. Before they can reach her she takes another deep breath and shrieks again, louder and of a higher pitch. Lilith closes her eyes and puts every last amount of force she can into her scream, closing her eyes.

Lilith hears a loud thump on the floor, followed by another shortly after. When she opens her eyes she sees both men on the floor, eyes wide open with blood dripping from their ears, eyes, and noses. She collapses on the floor as well, hiding under the tipped desk. Lilith cried from fear, her eyes turning red and puffy, and her black hair sticking to her face from the salty tears.

When the police arrive they take her downstairs and try to figure out what happened. Lilith is too frightened to speak. When her parents come home, they are shocked to find the police. They give their statements, and try to hide Lilith from questioning.

The coroner's office never officially released how the two men died in the house that night, truth was so bizarre that they couldn’t tell the public. The men’s internal organs including their brains had been completely liquified.

The police found no reason to take the innocent little girls from their parents, though they would continue to watch the oldest one. The girls were safe with their family. Lilith didn’t speak for months after, though she was comfortable at home. Her parents would take care of her, do what is in her best interest, they wouldn’t hurt her.

Right?

*Now*

I was already waiting for Tony down in his shop when he finally arrived with the takeout. The sonic dampener laid out on the table ready to get some updates. He had said that he had some new ideas to make it so I could wear it at all times and have it be more comfortable, so my excitement made me get there 30 minutes before our usual meeting time of 5pm. 

“So! I went ahead and got you your usual from Oddity. Sushi Burger, some Pad Cakes to split with me because yum, and a Birthday Cake Croissant for dessert later.” Tony announces as he walks into the shop.

Oddity had become my favorite restaurant when I moved to New York to live with Tony. It was a place where they took iconic foods and turned them into something weird. I like to think that it should be everywhere if only to satisfy weird food cravings of pregnant women. They have simple food oddities like pickles and chocolate or fries dipped in milkshakes; they take those and make them into their own dishes. And I don't care who you are, you are gonna love the fries with their special milkshake dip.

“Awesome! So what kind of adjustments were you thinking to the mask?” I ask after fishing my burger out of the bag. Tony turns to get something from his main desk before he even touches his food, that's how you can tell he's really excited. 

He comes back with a solid black choker necklace. When he hands it to me it's much lighter than I expected, shimmering with purple. It’s vibranium. The thought of something simple instead of a whole face mask is appealing, but that won't stop me from giving Tony a hard time.

“You trying to collar me, Stark?” I ask and look him up and down before raising an eyebrow. I look back down at the necklace seeing a small button. Upon pressing it, the necklace folds back into itself. Tony must have combined it with some nanotech. 

“You’re basically my child, fuck no. Put the compressed form over your vocal chords and tap the button again, then it fits to your neck and keeps the dampener in place.” He instructs, and I go to test it out. It's a perfect fit and I can feel the device using tiny vibrations to keep my vocal chords in check.

“Do you like it? Wanna test it out? I’ve made it so the dangerous tones and notes are lessened, but the ones that aren't dangerous still work.” Tony says to me before reaching for his specialized earplugs he made for testing.

I look at him as he sits on a stool with a giddy smile on his face.

“I don't know, Stark. It’s still dangerous.” I tell him with worry in my voice. The last time we ran tests on my powers I had shattered all the glass. That was two months ago. Tony had asked me several times since and I always refused, but with a new device it feels like a good time to try again.

“I promise that nothing bad will happen, Lyd. I remodeled the shop so that it's reinforced for testing, updated my headphones so it blocks the frequencies that are damaging or influencing. It's totally safe.” Tony assures me. “Just start with a simple suggestion frequency, do Fever.”

Nodding, I take a stance and begin to sing. When we originally did testing we started with songs I actually knew before we started messing with tones and notes. An unfortunate yet funny test that resulted in Tony being put into a state perfect for the power of suggestion for about 5 minutes after I stopped. Apparently the song Fever by Peggy Lee has an arrangement of notes that luls the listener into a state where they can be easily manipulated for a short time.

Though I always told him I was done for the day before we could test screams, though if this went well I might be willing to try again. I nod and start to sing after Tony moves to his monitor.

“Never know how much I love you  
Never know how much I care  
When you put your arms around me  
I get a fever that's so hard to bear  
You give me fever,”

I see Tony watching the monitor and giving me a thumbs up. I feel the dampener working, restricting the vibrations from working their magic to affect those who might be around me.

“When you kiss me  
Fever when you hold me tight  
Fever  
In the mornin', a fever all through the night.”

I start getting into it again. I used to love to sing when I was little. Then it took years for me to be comfortable making loud noises. I had finally gotten used to singing again in high school, but then it happened again. The only time I’ve been comfortable trying was in a lab or controlled environment. 

“Sun lights up the day time  
Moon lights up the night  
I light up when you call my name  
And you know I'm gonna treat you right  
You give me fever,”

Tony can see I’m enjoying myself and gives me another thumbs up. I close my eyes and belt, I finally feel safe enough to do it. I finally get to feel free if only for a few moments.

“When you kiss me  
Fever when you hold me tight  
Fever  
In the mornin'  
A fever all through the night.”

My eyes open and I stop. The door handle was jiggling. Tony looks to where I’m staring and hits the unlock to the shop. In flies Steve, pupils blown wide and a goofy grin on his face with his eyes locked on me.

“Stark! I thought you said it was safe!” I yell as Steve scrambles towards me, under the spell of the notes that had come from me. It at least looked like he wasn’t as bad as Tony was when we had the first accident.

“He used his code to get through the security.” Tony tells me. “I must not have added him to the list of people to not allow in during testing. I’m so sorry, Lydian.”

Tony tries to continue to apologize, but I rush past him. I knew this was still dangerous. Steve tries to follow but is stopped by Tony, he knows better than to let anyone near me when I get upset. Especially when I’m upset about my powers affecting others.


End file.
